The Report

"Senate staffer Daniel Jones (Driver) is assigned the daunting task of leading an investigation into the CIA’s Detention and Interrogation Program. After analyzing extensive evidence, he learns about the “enhanced interrogation techniques”—proven to be brutal, immoral, and ineffective—that the CIA adopted after 9/11. When Jones and the Senate Intelligence Committee attempt to release the results from his investigation, however, the CIA and White House go to great lengths to prevent the truth from getting out." (Sundance 2019)

Reviews & comments

The Report is an indignant retelling of how Jones (Adam Driver) came to write his 6700-page history of the agency’s ghoulishly named “enhanced interrogation” programme. And although it may feel uncomfortable to be entertained by such a serious and important story, the film is undoubtedly exciting.

Ultimately, the film is a character study as much as anything else – focused, obviously, on Americans, not on the actual victims of torture. Burns has been lucky in his actors, starting with Driver, whose performance is one long slow burn.

You can agree with its thrust while still feeling something majorly irresponsible has happened with Scott Z. Burns's tunnel-visiony direction and hectoring script; he makes Aaron Sorkin seem restrained.

The Report is an indignant retelling of how Jones (Adam Driver) came to write his 6700-page history of the agency’s ghoulishly named “enhanced interrogation” programme. And although it may feel uncomfortable to be entertained by such a serious and important story, the film is undoubtedly exciting.

Ultimately, the film is a character study as much as anything else – focused, obviously, on Americans, not on the actual victims of torture. Burns has been lucky in his actors, starting with Driver, whose performance is one long slow burn.

You can agree with its thrust while still feeling something majorly irresponsible has happened with Scott Z. Burns's tunnel-visiony direction and hectoring script; he makes Aaron Sorkin seem restrained.